The boredom issue....

[ChickenWisperer]

Well, 2 of my most agressive hens are starting to rip out my poor little Bo X RIR cockerels hackle feathers, and im convinced its boredom - their run is devoid of all life.

So - does anyone have any suggestions on some ways of pre-occupying my chickens? They already get corn or scratch grains, ive thrown dead leaves in there, and they get grass every day. Oh dear......

 

[redhen]

i am dreading the loooong winter, where they can only go out in their run...and have no yard time..poor things!..

 

[chookchick]

Okay--the old hanging cabbage? Do you have some roosts in the run? Rotten logs with bugs. Pieces of sod (no chemicals!). Corn cobs. A dust bath. Branches with leaves that they have to jump for. Birdseed under leaves. I'm sure people could add ideas to make a veritable chicken Disneyland!

 

[ChickaD]

Our chickens stay occupied for a while of happy pecking whenever I toss in some corn cobs from our supper.......the whole game lasts longer if you give them ears with some corn still on them, but even cleaned off ones are a big hit. You've already mentioned giving them weeds, which also helps. I give them more than they'll eat at once, so they can keep scratching through them...sometimes I try to include the roots and attached soil so they can look for worms or bugs. One time I piled up a huge pile of weeds in their run, meant to be a compost pile, and they just eventually used up everything!

Another idea: is there a way you can make them a spot where they can amuse themselves by taking a dust bath? If you can add some dry powdery dirt, possibly mixed with some wood ashes and food grade diatomaceous earth or Stall Dry (sold by Tractor Supply, is a mix of DE and absorbent clay), they should love it and do themselves (and you) a favor by getting protection from lice & mites while they're entertained...it's funny to watch them run through the pecking order as far as who gets to dust bathe first.

 

[Akane]

I'm hunting for some good oat straw/hay to spread across part of the coop. Lots of digging and some whole oats for food.

 

[Sequin]

My chickens Love to investigate dangling items. So, maybe put in a new roost or a few unreachable hooks and hang a variety of items(maybe some food and some non-food toys) from them so they can play and work at getting their snacks that way. If it is possible, maybe re-arrange things inside their coop/run - like adding new branches to climb on and investigate. Or, maybe think of getting a chicken tractor and rotate the chickens in that during the week so they each get some new ground to explore.

I don't know if any of that helped or not, but I hope it did.

 

[the simple life]

I just bought some of these for the times they will be cooped up due to bad weather coming, lots of snow or anything like that.
They cost me $12.99 at my local feed store.
Purina has a store locator on their website.
Says its suppose to help with pecking.

Flock Block SunFresh

Recipe
HOME>OUR PRODUCTS>PRODUCTS>FLOCK BLOCK SUNFRESH

RECIPE

What it is...


Whole Grain Enrichment Supplement

For free-ranging poultry and game birds
Encourages natural pecking instincts to help reduce cannibalism
Contains oyster shell and grit
Available in a 25# block
Guaranteed Analysis
Protein, not less than 8.0%
Lysine, not less than 0.30%
Methionine, not less than 0.25%
Crude Fat, not less than 2.5%
Crude Fiber, not more than 4.0%
Calcium (Ca), not less than 2.3%
Calcium (Ca), not more than 2.7%
Phosphorus (P), not less than 0.65%
Salt (Nacl), not less than 0.70%
Salt (Nacl), not more than 1.2%
Sodium (Na), not less than .35%

Ingredients:
Cracked Corn, Whole Wheat, Whole Milo, Whole Barley, Whole Sunflower Seed, Molasses, Oyster Shell, Calcium Lignin Sulfonate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Granite Grit, Salt, Propionic Acit (A Preservative), Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine, Biotin, Vitamin A Acetate, Nicotinic Acid, Riboflavin, DL-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate, Cholecalciferol, Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite (source of Vitamin K), Folic Acid, Cyanocobalamin, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite.

 

[ChickaD]

What a cool idea - thanks for sharing it! Now if I get one of those blocks, I just have to hope our "gals" don't peck at each other as they jockey for position near the block...ahhhhh, chickens!

 

[ChickenWisperer]

Great Ideas guys! Thanks so much! I'll start trying some stuff to see what works best.

Here are a few out of my own pocket, that I have tried so far:

Watermelons, with seeds still intact - they love it.
Old tomatoes - not rotten! - might do the trick.
Oat straw! It is pretty swell, untill theres nothing left to peck at.

 

[krcote]

I have an apple tree that has got more fruit then I know what to do with. I stuff apples into the fencing at all different heights- THEY LOVE pecking at them.